Moon Tables

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For my part, I like the original definition better. It relates one astronomical event, a full moon, with another astronomical marker, the solstices and the equinoxes. The "new" definition uses an imposed time scheme, the Gregorian calendar. So from now on, I'm going by the old definition.

Changed:

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If you prefer the newer definition, or you want to look for a "black moon" (the second new moon in a month)... well, you've got eyes and you've got a mind. Look for yourself in the table above. For either definition, consult this chart from Sky and Telescope for the dates of the blue moons until 2020; after that there's this chart which will take you to the end of the century.

>>

If you prefer the newer definition, or you want to look for a "black moon" (the second new moon in a month)... well, you've got eyes and you've got a mind. Look for yourself in the table above. For either definition, consult this chart from Sky and Telescope for the dates of the blue moons until 2020; after that there's this chart which will take you to the end of the century.

Changed:

<<

There are other definitions of a "blue moon." Someone wrote me with an obscure astrological definition: the second full moon that occurs in the same sign. There is also a drink called the Blue Moon, but I have found more than onerecipe. The moon can appear blue as a result of rare meteorological conditions. Of course, there's always the conversational meaning of "a rare occurrence."

>>

There are other definitions of a "blue moon." Someone wrote me with an obscure astrological definition: the second full moon that occurs in the same sign. There is also a drink called the Blue Moon, but I have found more than onerecipe. The moon can appear blue as a result of rare meteorological conditions. Of course, there's always the conversational meaning of "a rare occurrence."

For my part, as you can read below, I have no plans to research other definitions of the term. I only plan to revise this web page further once in a blue moon.

Moon Tables

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These books give you all the bits and pieces of astronomical calculations, which you can fit together as you like. It's not harder than, say, building a plastic model from a kit and then putting the model in your own diorama.

Changed:

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You probably already have the necessary tools on your computer. Even if you don't have a programming language like C, C++, BASIC, or FORTRAN on your machine, the calculations are well within the capabilities of any spreadsheet program. The web browser you're using probably supports Javascript; arithmetic isn't its main strength, but you can give it a shot.

>>

You probably already have the necessary tools on your computer. Even if you don't have a programming language like C, C++, BASIC, or FORTRAN on your machine, the calculations are well within the capabilities of any spreadsheet program. The web browser you're using probably supports Javascript; arithmetic isn't its main strength, but you can give it a shot. (I wrote the previous sentences years ago. Now I would include Python as a good starting computer language.)

Even if you have no additional software for your computer, you can still program them to perform arithmetic calculations. On Macs you can use AppleScript, and I imagine
something similar can be done with .COM files in Windows.

Moon Tables

Line: 287 to 287

For my part, I like the original definition better. It relates one astronomical event, a full moon, with another astronomical marker, the solstices and the equinoxes. The "new" definition uses an imposed time scheme, the Gregorian calendar. So from now on, I'm going by the old definition.

Changed:

<<

If you prefer the newer definition, or you want to look for a "black moon" (the second new moon in a month)... well, you've got eyes and you've got a mind. Look for yourself in the table above. For either definition, consult this chart from Sky and Telescope for the dates of the blue moons until 2020; after that there's this chart which will take you to the end of the century.

>>

If you prefer the newer definition, or you want to look for a "black moon" (the second new moon in a month)... well, you've got eyes and you've got a mind. Look for yourself in the table above. For either definition, consult this chart from Sky and Telescope for the dates of the blue moons until 2020; after that there's this chart which will take you to the end of the century.

There are other definitions of a "blue moon." Someone wrote me with an obscure astrological definition: the second full moon that occurs in the same sign. There is also a drink called the Blue Moon, but I have found more than onerecipe. The moon can appear blue as a result of rare meteorological conditions. Of course, there's always the conversational meaning of "a rare occurrence."

Line: 296 to 296

Moon calculations

In the past, I received several messages from visitors to this page asking various calendar questions (e.g., "How often are there blue moons?" or "When will there be a full moon on Halloween?"). I'm sorry, but I don't have time to be an astronomical calendar calculation service. However, you can find any number of freeware or shareware calendar programs on the net to answer such questions. Some resources are:

You can also do what I did and write your own programs. If you're looking for a project that will teach you the basics of programming, calendar calculations are a good way to start. My sources for astronomical formulae were:

These books give you all the bits and pieces of astronomical calculations, which you can fit together as you like. It's not harder than, say, building a plastic model from a kit and then putting the model in your own diorama.

Changed:

<<

You probably already have the necessary tools on your computer. Even if you don't have a programming language like C, C++, BASIC, or FORTRAN on your machine, the calculations are well within the capabilities of any spreadsheet program. The web browser you're using probably supports Javascript; arithmetic isn't its main strength, but you can give it a shot.

>>

You probably already have the necessary tools on your computer. Even if you don't have a programming language like C, C++, BASIC, or FORTRAN on your machine, the calculations are well within the capabilities of any spreadsheet program. The web browser you're using probably supports Javascript; arithmetic isn't its main strength, but you can give it a shot.

Even if you have no additional software for your computer, you can still program them to perform arithmetic calculations. On Macs you can use AppleScript, and I imagine
something similar can be done with .COM files in Windows.

Line: 316 to 315

Previous moon tables

Changed:

<<

I first put up these moon tables in 1994, and updated them every year or so. Then I put up tables in 2001 for the following five years. I used to receive e-mails on them, but I no longer do. Presumably, folks have discovered other, superior resources for the same information. Since apparently this web page is not as useful as it used to be, I don't feel a strong need to revise it. That's why I went through ten years worth of calculation at once in 2005. In 2014, I extended them to 2025. When that year arrives, I'll have been providing these tables for 31 years; I'll see if I feel it's time to stop.

>>

I first put up these moon tables in 1994, and updated them every year or so. Then I put up tables in 2001 for the following five years. I used to receive e-mails on them, but I no longer do. Presumably, folks have discovered other, superior resources for the same information. Since apparently this web page is not as useful as it used to be, I don't feel a strong need to revise it. That's why I went through ten years worth of calculations at once in 2005. In 2014, I extended them to 2025. When that year arrives, I'll have been providing these tables for 31 years; I'll see if I feel it's time to stop.

Moon Tables

Line: 316 to 316

Previous moon tables

Changed:

<<

I first put up these moon tables in 1994, and updated them every year or so. Then I put up tables in 2001 for the following five years. I used to receive e-mails on them, but I no longer do. Presumably, folks have discovered other, superior resources for the same information. Since apparently this web page is not as useful as it used to be, I don't feel a strong need to revise it. That's why I went through ten years worth of calculation at once in 2005. In 2014, I extended them to 2025. When that year draws year, I'll have been providing these tables for 31 years; I'll see if I feel it's time to stop.

>>

I first put up these moon tables in 1994, and updated them every year or so. Then I put up tables in 2001 for the following five years. I used to receive e-mails on them, but I no longer do. Presumably, folks have discovered other, superior resources for the same information. Since apparently this web page is not as useful as it used to be, I don't feel a strong need to revise it. That's why I went through ten years worth of calculation at once in 2005. In 2014, I extended them to 2025. When that year arrives, I'll have been providing these tables for 31 years; I'll see if I feel it's time to stop.

Full and new moons, 2010-2025

Line: 316 to 316

Previous moon tables

Changed:

<<

I first put up these moon tables in 1994, and updated them every year or so. Then I put up tables in 2001 for the following five years. I used to receive e-mails on them, but I no longer do. Presumably, folks have discovered other, superior resources for the same information. Since apparently this web page is not as useful as it used to be, I don't feel a strong need to revise it. That's why I went through ten years worth of calculation at once in 2005. In 2014, I extended them to 2025. If we get to that point, I'll have been providing these tables for 31 years; I'll see if I feel it's time to stop.

>>

I first put up these moon tables in 1994, and updated them every year or so. Then I put up tables in 2001 for the following five years. I used to receive e-mails on them, but I no longer do. Presumably, folks have discovered other, superior resources for the same information. Since apparently this web page is not as useful as it used to be, I don't feel a strong need to revise it. That's why I went through ten years worth of calculation at once in 2005. In 2014, I extended them to 2025. When that year draws year, I'll have been providing these tables for 31 years; I'll see if I feel it's time to stop.

You can also do what I did and write your own programs. If you're looking for a project that will teach you the basics of programming, calendar calculations are a good way to start. My sources for my astronomical formulae were:

>>

You can also do what I did and write your own programs. If you're looking for a project that will teach you the basics of programming, calendar calculations are a good way to start. My sources for astronomical formulae were:

Moon Tables 2010-2025

Moon Tables

Full and new moons, 2010-2025

Times are Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5 hours), and are calculated for the longitude and latitude of New York City. Note that they have not been corrected for US Daylight Saving Time; at the time of this writing, that means adding an hour for those times between the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. This is to make it slightly easier for anyone outside the US to adjust the times for their location.

2010

You can also do what I did and write your own programs. My sources for my astronomical calculations were:

>>

You can also do what I did and write your own programs. If you're looking for a project that will teach you the basics of programming, calendar calculations are a good way to start. My sources for my astronomical formulae were:

If you're looking for a project that will teach you the basics of programming, calendar calculations are a good way to start.

Previous moon tables

I first put up these moon tables in 1994, and updated them every year or so. Then I put up tables in 2001 for the following five years. I used to receive e-mails on them, but I no longer do. Presumably, folks have discovered other, superior resources for the same information. Since apparently this web page is not as useful as it used to be, I don't feel a strong need to revise it. That's why I went through ten years worth of calculation at once in 2005. In 2014, I extended them to 2025. If we get to that point, I'll have been providing these tables for 31 years; I'll see if I feel it's time to stop.

Moon Tables 2010-2025

Times are Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5 hours), and are calculated for the longitude and latitude of New York City. Note that they have not been corrected for US Daylight Saving Time; at the time of this writing, that means adding an hour for those times between the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. This is to make it slightly easier for anyone outside the US to adjust the times for their location.

Blue moons

Along with many others, I used to believe that a "blue moon" was a month with two full moons. However, research by Sky and Telescope shows that this was due to an error made by the magazine in 1946. The original definition is the third full moon in a season with four full moons (instead of the usual three).

For my part, I like the original definition better. It relates one astronomical event, a full moon, with another astronomical marker, the solstices and the equinoxes. The "new" definition uses an imposed time scheme, the Gregorian calendar. So from now on, I'm going by the old definition.

If you prefer the newer definition, or you want to look for a "black moon" (the second new moon in a month)... well, you've got eyes and you've got a mind. Look for yourself in the table above. For either definition, consult this chart from Sky and Telescope for the dates of the blue moons until 2020; after that there's this chart which will take you to the end of the century.

There are other definitions of a "blue moon." Someone wrote me with an obscure astrological definition: the second full moon that occurs in the same sign. There is also a drink called the Blue Moon, but I have found more than onerecipe. The moon can appear blue as a result of rare meteorological conditions. Of course, there's always the conversational meaning of "a rare occurrence."

For my part, as you can read below, I have no plans to research other definitions of the term. I only plan to revise this web page further once in a blue moon.

Moon calculations

In the past, I received several messages from visitors to this page asking various calendar questions (e.g., "How often are there blue moons?" or "When will there be a full moon on Halloween?"). I'm sorry, but I don't have time to be an astronomical calendar calculation service. However, you can find any number of freeware or shareware calendar programs on the net to answer such questions. Some resources are:

These books give you all the bits and pieces of astronomical calculations, which you can fit together as you like. It's not harder than, say, building a plastic model from a kit and then putting the model in your own diorama.

You probably already have the necessary tools on your computer. Even if you don't have a programming language like C, C++, BASIC, or FORTRAN on your machine, the calculations are well within the capabilities of any spreadsheet program. The web browser you're using probably supports Javascript; arithmetic isn't its main strength, but you can give it a shot.

Even if you have no additional software for your computer, you can still program them to perform arithmetic calculations. On Macs you can use AppleScript, and I imagine
something similar can be done with .COM files in Windows.

If you're looking for a project that will teach you the basics of programming, calendar calculations are a good way to start.

Previous moon tables

I first put up these moon tables in 1994, and updated them every year or so. Then I put up tables in 2001 for the following five years. I used to receive e-mails on them, but I no longer do. Presumably, folks have discovered other, superior resources for the same information. Since apparently this web page is not as useful as it used to be, I don't feel a strong need to revise it. That's why I went through ten years worth of calculation at once in 2005. In 2014, I extended them to 2025. If we get to that point, I'll have been providing these tables for 31 years; I'll see if I feel it's time to stop.